Beyond the Frosted Window
by 2kool4skool
Summary: As Hermione stares out of her bedroom window on the first snowfall of the year, she is caught up in memories of her past and plans for her future.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Harry Potter. **

**Beyond the Frosted Window**

Hermione's fingers stained the frosted glass window as they lingered against the pane. Ron watched her from a few feet away. She looked beautiful as the light shimmered against her pale skin. "I love the snow," she whispered breathlessly. She turned to look at him and he smiled.

"Even though it's cold? I didn't think you liked to be cold," he said as he remembered all their trips to Hogsmeade and how she would shiver each time they went outside.

"It reminds me of my childhood," she said, before turning her attention back to the winter wonderland that was just beyond the window. "Every year during the first snowfall my father would take me out for hot chocolate at an old diner that was a few blocks from our house."

"That sounds really special," Ron affirmed, before he started to walk towards her.

"It was. Winter was always a special time for my family. My father loved to take me tobogganing when I was a little girl."

Ron imagined a young, pink faced Hermione gliding down snow-covered hills on a toboggan while her father looked on with a smile on his face. "Do you miss those times?"

"Life was a lot simpler when I was seven years old and my biggest care in the world was making sure I didn't have whipped cream on my face when I drank my hot chocolate, or making sure I didn't hit a tree while on the toboggan. However, as much as I miss those times, I don't want to go back. I'm very happy with my life now."

"Me too," he whispered into her hair.

"Did you do anything special during the winter?" she asked softly as her eyes still danced across the garden.

"Nothing really sticks out in my mind as a special winter family tradition, but I have a lot of good memories of playing in the snow with my siblings. Lots of snowball fights and skating memories."

"I always wanted siblings," she sighed. "My parents overcompensated by trying to spend extra time with me, but I would have loved to have had a snowball fight with a little sister or brother."

"You can have one with mine. They already think of you as a sibling."

"Do you want to have a snowball fight right now?" she asked, as a smile slid across her face.

"But what about…"

"Just for a little while?" she began to plead.

"Right now?" he asked, slightly perplexed. She nodded her head before pulling on his arm to follow her outside. He didn't put up a fight as he was dragged through the warm house and outside into the unbearably cold winter air.

She bent down and rolled a snow ball with her woollen mitten covered hands, the mittens she had received from Molly Weasley the Christmas before. She turned to throw it at Ron but was instead hit, square in the shoulder, from one thrown by Ron. She tossed hers and he ducked. She ran for cover around the corner of the building and started making snow balls as fast as she could. She poked her head around the corner and began tossing them in Ron's direction. He was much faster than her and she ended up being hit many more times than he was. She decided to run for better cover but Ron caught up with her and pulled on her arm so that she turned and fell into his. He pulled her down onto the snow bank and began kissing her.

It was only a moment before they were under attack by George and Ginny. "Get a room," George teased before throwing another snowball at them. "Okay guys against girls," George said before pushing his sister toward Hermione and dragging Ron in his direction.

Together Ron and George took Hermione and Ginny down before they all went inside for hot chocolate. It was a moment Hermione would never forget, something she would tuck inside her winter memories forever. She just loved the first snowfall.

As they sipped their hot beverages, they were delighted by the entrance of Harry and James who had just returned from a trip into Diagon Alley. "How was your trip?" Ginny asked, before she wrapped her son in a warm embrace.

James was perplexed for a moment before he whispered, "Secret." Ginny looked to Harry for an answer but he just smiled at his wife and turned to greet his in laws.

"What kind of secret?" Ginny whispered to the toddler.

He shook his head and ran to greet his aunt and uncles. Harry just smiled wider. He had told James that the gift he'd bought Ginny was a secret and James was doing a great job keeping it so far.

"You missed a great snowball fight, mate," George said to Harry, before hugging his nephew, who had by this point climbed into his lap.

"We may have to have another one," Harry said.

"I would love to, but I'm feeling awfully tired," Hermione said softly. Those words hit Ron as hard as a bludger to the head. He had forgotten about Hermione's condition when he had gotten caught up in their winter games. He tried to make eye contact with her but she did not look to him.

Ginny caught the exchange between her brother and his fiancée. She was unsure what it meant, but it did concern her. "Well maybe tomorrow then," Ginny responded. Hermione smiled but Ginny noted it did not reach her eyes. "Hermione, could you help me find a juice box for James?" she requested.

"I'll go," Ron offered. He placed a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder as he passed.

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Ginny prodded, as she opened the cupboard where she knew the juice boxes were located.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, knowing he was very bad at hiding things from his younger sister.

"Why is she so tired?" Ginny demanded.

"We were just running around the yard. It was a bit exhausting."

"She's very pale Ron. She doesn't look well."

"She's fine," Ron assured Ginny. "I would tell you if she wasn't."

Ginny looked him in the eyes, a moment longer, before admitting defeat and walking back into the dining room with a drink for her son. Hermione was telling James a story when Ginny returned. She listened from afar as Hermione recounted the tale of muggle snowman building. Hermione's face lit up with excitement as she spoke but even with all that joy, Ginny could see something was off in Hermione's face. She really did not look well.

"Mommy," James squealed before reaching his hands out for his drink.

She handed it to him but her eyes were still fixed on Hermione's face. Hermione looked at her and seemed startled by Ginny's expression. Ginny tried to save herself by simply saying, "You'll have to teach him."

"Harry must want to do that. He would have done it as a child too," Hermione insisted.

"Truth be told Hermione, I wasn't very good at it," Harry responded. "I think he'd appreciate a version that actually resembled a snowman."

They all laughed and then Hermione seemed to get a very strange look on her face and she ran upstairs. Ron ran after her. He found her heaving in the bathroom. "We should find out for sure," Ron said gently, before he kneeled down to pull her hair back.

"I'm scared," she sighed, before falling back into his arms.

"Well putting off the inevitable won't solve anything. I want to know."

"I'm not ready to know," she said gently. "I don't want to know yet."

Ron frowned and touched her face. "We can wait a little longer, but you must have frightened the family Hermione. What shall we tell them?"

"That I have a stomach bug."

"That's a lie."

"We don't know that," she insisted. "Please Ron, just a little longer?"

Ron sighed and then gave in and together the two went back to the dining room where three very concerned faces were waiting for an explanation. "I must be coming down with the flu," Hermione announced.

George and Harry accepted the explanation, but Ginny did not. She searched their faces for a better answer, but found nothing to ease her concerns. "We should really get going home," Ginny said.

"I thought you came for dinner," Ron said.

"Hermione's not feeling well. She should rest," Ginny said. "I'll owl you in the morning to see how you are doing. If you need anything I'm not too far away."

"Thanks Ginny, but I'm sure I'll be fine," Hermione promised the red haired witch. "It's nothing really."

Hermione and Ron walked their guests to the door and once they were gone, Ron pressed a kiss to Hermione's lips. "Ginny doesn't believe you," Ron told her.

"I know, but she'll find out soon enough." Ron watched her go into the living room and lie down on the couch. She looked so tired.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, as he covered her with a blanket.

"No I just needed to lie down for a moment before we find out."

Ron's face brightened. "You're ready to know?"

"Well putting off the inevitable won't solve anything," she said quoting the words he'd spoken earlier. "I can't avoid it forever."

"Either way this turns out, we can deal with it," Ron assured her. Hermione gave him a half smile in response.

He held his hand out to her and she used it to help herself into a standing position. Her head felt very dizzy as she stood, but after waiting a moment she felt better and together they ascended the stairs.

Back in their room Hermione returned to her spot at the window where a little piece of plastic was waiting for her. "Well?" Ron asked.

Hermione's eyes met his and before she could speak she was overwhelmed with images of their past together. She remembered the day they met, their first trip to Hogsmeade, the moment she'd seen him after waking up in the infirmary, and the moment he woke up to her. She remembered the stolen moments they'd shared while searching for horcruxes and the moments when they battled side by side until the end of the vicious war. She remembered their first kiss, their first time together and everything in between. It was with these memories she could finally find the words to say, "I'm pregnant."

Ron couldn't contain his excitement as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around. "I'm going to be a father. I can't believe it," he cheered.

She couldn't stop her tears from falling as she shared in his joy. She was still a little scared but with this man by her side she knew everything would turn out all right. She turned her gaze back outside to the growing blizzard beyond the window and she smiled. This turned out to be the best first snowfall of all.


End file.
